Dutch media have expressed anger and sadness following the 2-1 defeat to England in the Euro 2024 semi-final on Wednesday.
The Three Lions reached Sunday’s final in Berlin in dramatic fashion after Ollie Watkins’ 90th-minute goal secured victory, with Harry Kane earlier cancelling out Xavi Simons’ first-half opener.
It was the third consecutive knockout match at the tournament that England had won after high drama, with the Three Lions beating Slovakia in extra time in the round of 16, before beating Switzerland on penalties in the quarter-finals.
And immediately after the match, there was fury in the Netherlands with former national team star Rafael van der Vaart ranting against Gareth Southgate’s side.
“What a shitty team they are,” he fumed to Dutch broadcaster NOS. “Little by little, they didn’t want to do anything anymore.”
The Dutch media have expressed anger and sadness after being defeated by England.
Ollie Watkins’ spectacular last-gasp goal ensured the Three Lions reached the Euro 2024 final
There was significant anger in the Dutch media over England’s first-half penalty.
The VI reacted furiously and also pointed out a possible handball by Bukayo Saka in the build-up to the match.
“They have top-class players on the pitch. We didn’t do much either. We had some chances. We could have done a lot more.”
There was understandable outrage over England’s first-half penalty, when Denzel Dumfries was adjudged to have fouled Kane following a VAR review.
VI led the furious reaction by pointing to a possible handball by Bukayo Saka in the run-up to the penalty.
Dutch outlet VI highlighted how “the international press was unanimous about the timing of the penalty with Dumfries”, while AD expressed “surprise in England” at the decision, while others called it “embarrassing”.
Pierre van Hooijdonk, who worked alongside Van der Vaart at NOS, added to the furious reaction, saying: “(Referee) Felix Zwayer and VAR Bastian Dankert – (they should be) blacklisted. Terrible.”
Meanwhile, AD also explained how “Holland’s dream of participating in the European Championship was shattered” after their dramatic “endgame” in the semi-finals against England.
This anguish was similarly shared elsewhere, with De Telegraaf highlighting how “Dutch dreams were shattered” after Watkins’ dramatic last-minute goal.
Denzel Dumfries was adjudged to have fouled Harry Kane in the controversial penalty.
Former Netherlands star Rafael van der Vaart (right) also criticised England, saying they were “shit”.
However, De Telegraaf also claimed that: “Luck has run out for Koeman and the shaky Oranje,” perhaps referring to their run to the final four, which came after finishing third in their group.
Several Dutch players were also inflamed at the end of the match, with Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, who was booked for dissent during the match, attacking Zwayer.
“I don’t know if I should say anything about that,” he said. be in sports“I told the Dutch media. I think that says it all: the referee came in pretty quickly after the match.
‘I didn’t have time to shake his hand. But it is what it is, the game is decided, we lost, at times it was obvious that things should have gone our way, but they didn’t, whatever the result.
“It’s hard to accept. It’s been a tough year. We had a big dream and we felt like we could have achieved it.”
He continued: “They keep changing certain things, small changes that could have a big impact. Maybe it’s good that they can be held accountable too.”
‘They didn’t come here to talk to you and explain how we should do it when we do something wrong.
“It may be something, but I must not talk about others and we have to look at ourselves.”
Ronald Koeman was also furious at the decision, saying: “What are you doing as a defender?
“This is not a penalty. Dumfries wanted to block the ball. Then, the shoes collided. These kinds of VAR decisions destroy football.”
Virgil van Dijk was one of several Dutch stars to be angered by the conduct of referee Felix Zwayer.
There was also an element of sadness when AD explained how the “Dutch dream was in tatters”.
De Telegraaf said that “luck has finally run out for Koeman and the unstable Oranje”
Meanwhile, several Spanish newspapers praised England’s resilience and never-say-die attitude, but also expressed confidence in beating the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final.
Marca described England as the team that “always floats”, while AS called them “the miracle team”.
The drama of the Three Lions’ victory was further hailed when Marca described Watkins as an “unexpected hero”.
El Mundo similarly called Watkins a “hero” and also highlighted the fact that Jude Bellingham will face the country in which his football club plays in the final.
Bellingham has been a revelation since joining Real Madrid and El Mundo described Sunday’s game as “Bellingham’s one-on-one game against Spain”.
Marca also added to the controversy ahead of Sunday as they seemingly mocked Phil Foden in relation to Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal.
Several Spanish media praised England’s resilience and AS called them the “miracle team”
Meanwhile, Marca described the Three Lions as a team that “always floats” after the late drama.
Marca also made fun of Phil Foden in relation to the young Spanish attacker Lamine Yamal
Elsewhere, Watkins was hailed as the “unexpected hero”, while there was a nod to Bellingham.
During Spain’s semi-final victory over France, Yamal scored a stunning winner by firing past Adrien Rabiot and curling the ball into the top corner.
Foden also produced a stunning piece of skill against the Netherlands, but his shot crashed off the post, with Marca quick to mock it by saying: “Foden wanted to do the same as Lamine… but he didn’t end up like Yamal.”
Meanwhile, TV show El Chiringuito appeared to relish the fact that Spain are playing England as they discussed their potential celebrations after winning the Euros, while they also highlighted the depth of talent at Luis de la Fuente’s disposal.
The two teams will now meet at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Sunday, with the big clash kicking off at 20:00 GMT.
